Junior doctor on hunger strike admitted to R G Kar hospital, condition critical; calls for larger rally today

Aniket Mahato, a junior doctor who has been on hunger strike for several days, was rushed to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital on Thursday due to deteriorating health. He is currently under critical care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The West Bengal Junior Doctors Front has called for an even more vigorous movement in response to Mahato’s condition. Debashis Halder, speaking on behalf of the junior doctors’ meeting platform, urged civil society to stand in “solidarity” with their cause. A rally has been scheduled for Friday afternoon near the Dharmatala hunger strike site.

Halder said that the junior doctors’ ten-point demands are “not merely for their benefit” but to prevent incidents similar to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R G Kar Hospital on August 9 from happening. “Our comrades have risked their lives for these demands,” he said. “We want everyone to unite in solidarity with them.”